Barred

The University of Michigan Museum of Modern Art (UMMA) has an exhibit titled We Write to You About Africa. These figurines were made, cared for, and owned by citizens of countries in the Middle East and North Africa that were affected by the 2017 U.S. travel ban issued by the first Trump administration. In 2020, Nigeria, Eritrea, Tanzania, and Sudan were added as well, making it nearly impossible for citizens of these countries to visit the United States.

With this and additional bans, it has become easier for some objects to access the United States than for the artists who created them. A marker in the UMMA exhibit states:

“We present this display case to remind our visitors of these discrepancies in mobility, and how such restrictions limit who can enjoy, and who can interpret, works of African art in museums the Global North.”